Georgia’s food industry will soon benefit from an expanded capacity with the announcement today by the University System of Georgia to build and develop a new $5.5 million facility for the Food Product Innovation and Commercialization (FoodPIC) Center scientists in Griffin, Ga. to work with industry to create and develop new products and processes.

The 10,500 square foot research and development facility was funded by a combination of state funds ($3.5 million), UGA ($1 million) and the Griffin-Spalding County Development Authority ($1 million). The FoodPIC Center is part of the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, with its long-standing focus on agricultural research and product development.